Post-Grave. Spike’s spent the past three years raising a young Slayer on the streets of New York. A call from the Council sends them to the Hellmouth - and right into the arms of the people Spike's been avoiding for the past three years.

Summary: Post-Grave. Spike's spent the past three years
raising a young Slayer on the streets of New York. When a call from the Council
summons them to the Hellmouth to help destroy a deadly foe, Spike is forced to
face the problems he's been avoiding for the past three years, in particular, a
blonde Slayer by the name of Buffy Summers…

----------

"Bloody great…" Spike muttered, catching a glimpse of the
three vampires approaching him from the side. Turning, he gave them an unamused
look. "Look mates, I'm runnin' a bit late. Let's say we make this quick, 'ey?"
Growling, the vamps lunged at him. He caught the first and second in the head
with a roundhouse kick and ducked as the third swung at him. Grabbing it's arm
as it swung again, he snapped it and hurled the creature into the wall.

"Where's the Slayer?!" The first growled, coming at him
again.

Rolling his eyes, Spike socked him in the jaw, sending him
stumbling backwards. "Right, and I'm gonna tell you anything with an attitude
like that." He muttered sarcastically, producing a stake from his coat pocket
and plunging it into the creature's chest. Spinning around, he plunged it into
the second one's heart as he tried to jump him from behind. "Well mate, just me
and you then."

The third vampire scrambled to his feet and eyed Spike
nervously. Panicking, it made a dash, trying desperately to get away.

"Now that's just bloody pathetic…" The blonde muttered
before hurling his stake after the vamp. It buried itself in it's back and the
creature exploded into a pile of dust, his stake clattering to the floor.
Sighing, Spike walked over and collected it, placing it safely back inside his
pocket. Catching a glimpse of a clock in a nearby store window, he groaned and
began to run, his duster swirling behind him as he dashed through the city.

----------

Hope sighed, glancing down at her watch. He was late… again.
Letting her arm fall back to her side, she leaned lazily against the side of a
building, her eyes watching the bugs swarming around the streetlight a few feet
away. It flickered a few times before going out, leaving her to stand in the
gloomy darkness of the building's shadow. Sighing, she pulled a stake from her
pocket and began to spin it absently between her fingers.

A Slayer.

Most fourteen year old girls wouldn't be caught dead in
this part of New York at this time of night, but not her. She stood there,
comfortable in her jeans and black hoodie, not the least bit intimidated. The
girl stood less than five feet tall and weighed no more than one hundred
pounds, but her training had started early and she was one of the strongest
beings alive.

Hope had killed her first vamp at the age of ten.

"'bout time you showed."

"Sorry kitten, got a bit tied up." The vampire apologized,
sauntering up to the girl.

"Oo, bondage. Always fun." She said in mock excitement.

Spike smirked. "Don't talk like that."

"Aye aye, Cap'n." She said, saluting him. He grinned and
threw his arm around her shoulder, leading her back down the dark city street.
"So where we off to, oh great one?" She asked, brushing a stray piece of her
blonde hair from her face.

"There's s'posed t'be somethin' big goin' down on east
ninth." The vamp explained, releasing his hold on the girl and pulling a
cigarette from his pocket.

"Big? Big as in what?" Hope asked, walking alongside him
quickly as to keep up with his brisk pace.

"Just a bunch of vamps wantin' t'perform some sacrifices
and whatnot." He explained, blowing a thick stream of smoke from his mouth.

"Sounds fun."

"Loads of fun, Little Miss." He agreed.

"The tape in the VCR went all wonky t'day." She said out
of the blue, flipping her head upside down and pulling her hair into a ponytail
as she walked.

"No it didn't…" Spike said in disbelief, looking down at
her.

"Did too. It made that weird crunchy noise and when I took
it out it was all ribbon-y." She said matter-of-factly.

"Bugger…" The vampire muttered.

"Don't worry, Bleach Boy, I had an extra tape in my room
and I used the VCR in the extra room to tape your stupid show." She said with a
grin.

"That's my girl." He said fondly, throwing his arm back
over her shoulder and giving her a hug as they walked.

"What is it with you and Passions anyway? I mean, it's
completely stupid."

"Is not."

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Plus
there's Timmy, he's just creepy. Why can't you just wake up for an hour during
the day and save me the indignity of taping it for you."

"You're fourteen, you don't have any dignity." He said
simply, earning a punch in the arm. "Oh, come off it, you little scamp. I was
kidding."

"I know, but with you being a vampire and all I'm required
to hit you at least once a day." She said with a nod.

"S'that so?"

"Yep."

"Why was I never informed of this?"

"'cause no one likes you." She replied simply.

"Not even you?" He asked with a grin.

"Nope, I hate you. With a passion." She said sarcastically,
nodding.

Rolling his eyes, Spike tossed his cigarette to the ground
and pointed to a building. "Tha's it."

"Why can't they perform sacrifices in some nice hotel or
something? Why is it always some rundown old building?" Hope muttered, her nose
wrinkled up in disgust.

"'cause we vamps aren't the brightest creatures alive…erm,
well, you know what I mean."

The girl smirked, pushing open one of the rotted wood
doors. "Yes, I've picked up on the whole stupidity factor."

"Thanks luv." Spike muttered, winking at the girl.

"Don't mention it." She said, making her way up an old
staircase. Upon coming to the top, she found herself at the end of a long
narrow hallway, a dim light coming from underneath a door about halfway down
the corridor. She elbowed Spike and pointed. He nodded, walking ahead of her.
Giving her a quick glance, he kicked it open, the old wood shattering and
falling to pieces under the force of his kick.

"I wouldn't suggest staking yourself." She said, giving
him an amused smile as he shouted a string of curses at the falling pieces of
wood.

"Don't make me kill you." He warned. She just smirked,
following him into the room. "Well now, what do we have here?" Spike
questioned, looking around at the confused vampires. He counted off ten, then there
were the four human girls bound to chairs in the center of the room. From the
looks of it, they were most likely hookers.

"Ssslayer." One vampire hissed, eyeing Hope evilly. He
stalked towards her, passing up one of their hostages. The girl in the chair
yelled something, but it was muffled by the gag in her mouth.

"You must be the brains of the group." Hope commented,
eyeing the large creature standing in front of her. The vampires behind him
hissed. She snorted. "Hell, would it kill you to be nice every once in awhile?"

"Hope, vampires." Spike said. "Already dead."

Shrugging, she backhanded the vamp standing before her.
The others attacked almost instantly, some going after Hope while the others
took to fighting Spike. "Spike, down!" She called, dodging a swing by one of
the vamps and slamming a stake into his chest as she stood.

Spike ducked, narrowly avoiding a kick to the head from
behind. Swinging his legs under the opposing vamp, he sent him sprawling to the
ground. Hopping back to his feet, he nailed another in the jaw with his fist
and spun around to kick another. Pulling a stake from his coat, he dusted the
two before burring his weapon in the other's chest as it stood.

Hope grinned at the vampire holding her by her shoulders
before kneeing him in the groin. He let go instantly and she kicked him in the
chest, sending him flying backwards, his body impaled at the shattered
doorframe. He exploded into ash. Her ears picked up on a muffled scream and she
turned to find one of the creatures preparing to slit one of the girls'
throats. Pulling another stake out, she threw it, lodging it in the creatures
back. The girl screamed once more as the vamp exploded, covering her in ash.

"Hope, catch." Spike called, staking another vamp as he
swung another around.

The blonde Slayer turned in time to grab the vamp Spike
had shoved towards her. Smashing it's head through a window, she pulled it back
out and lifted the window open. Slamming it's head against the sill, she stuck
it out the window and closed it quickly, decapitating it.

Spike and Hope both turned to find the two remaining vamps
standing in the center of the room, giving them wary looks. Grinning, Hope
lunged forward, grabbing the larger of the two around the neck and slamming him
to the ground. Kicking up a fallen piece of the door, she staked him and looked
up just as Spike finished off the last one.

"Well don't we look all sexy." She commented, noting his
vamped out features as she took to untying one of the girls.

"Don't I always?" The vampire remarked, pulling the gag
from one girl's mouth. She screamed and he quickly put it back. "We'll take
that off last." He said with a nod, his face shifting back to it's human
visage.

----------

"This is the last of the blood." Hope stated, handing a
glass of the red liquid to the blonde as she flopped down on the couch beside
him, a plate of pizza in her other hand.

"We'll get some more t'morrow." He said, flipping through
the television channels as he sipped his dinner. Hope settled back into the cushions,
watching as he flipped through every channel imaginable, barely catching a
glimpse of each station before deciding that whatever was on wasn't worth
watching. She sighed, picking the pepperoni off of her pizza.

The phone rang.

She reached over and grabbed it from the stand beside the
couch, not taking her eyes from her food. "Hello?" She listened a few moments
before rolling her eyes and handing it over to Spike.

"Who is it?" He asked, setting the remote down as he took
the phone.

"Travers." She answered simply.

"Oh goody." Spike muttered sarcastically. Both of them
shared a mutual hatred for the head of the Council. "Well, mate, seeing as you
stopped calling to check in on us last Christmas, I'm assuming this is a
business call."

Hope watched as he listened, his face falling. After a few
minutes, he hung up. "What'd he want?" She asked, giving the vampire a curious
look. He looked a bit shaken, which was unusual when he talked to Travers.
Usually the vampire was rather perky after a spout of verbal abuse against the
stuffy Englishman.

"Basically. Travers said one of the Council's seers saw
him coming, wants us to help take 'im out."

"Where, somewhere in the city? Like the subway?" She
asked.

"No." He said, his eyes falling. "Sunnydale."

Hope stopped chewing. "The Hellmouth?"

Spike nodded. "Looks like you get to meet your
predecessor…" He mumbled, already dreading going back.

"Buffy?" Hope questioned, her eyes twinkling a bit. She
had heard of the girl, the oldest living Slayer ever. When she had died at the
hands of the Hell God, Hope had been called, but not summoned to the Hellmouth.
A year later her and her watcher were captured by a vampire cult. Her watcher
was killed, but Hope had been saved. Saved by a newly souled vampire by the
name of Spike. She hadn't left his side ever since, refusing to listen to any
of the new watchers the Council assigned her. Eventually they gave up and Spike
had agreed to fill the position. He hadn't been to Sunnydale in more than three
years…

"Buffy Summers." Spike muttered. "The one and only…"

TBC…

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